(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on July 10.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Freight traffic on the nation s railroads was up during the week ended July 5 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Intermodal volume totaled 164,003 trailers or containers, up 11.2 percent from the comparable week last year. Carload freight, which does not include the intermodal data, rose 1.2 percent to 280,127 cars. Carload volume was up 4.3 percent in the East but down 0.6 percent in the West. Total volume was estimated at 24.5 billion ton-miles, up 3.8 percent from last year. Both this year s week and the comparison week from last year included the Independence Day holiday.
Fourteen out of nineteen commodities were up from the comparable week last year, with coke up 46.3 percent; crushed stone, gravel and sand rising 17.9 percent and nonmetallic minerals gaining 13.6 percent. Loadings of metallic ores dropped 28.2 percent from last year while shipments of metals and products declined by 10.1 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 27 weeks of 2003: 8,661,201 carloads, up 0.2 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 4,993,900 trailers or containers, up 6.5 percent; and total volume of an estimated 764.2 billion ton-miles, up 0.9 percent from last year s first 27 weeks.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 90 percent of U.S. carload freight and 96 percent of rail intermodal volume. When the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads are included, the figures increase to 96 percent and 100 percent. Railroads provide more than 40 percent of the nation s intercity freight transportation, more than any other mode, and rail traffic figures are regarded as an important economic indicator.
Both intermodal and carload freight were up on Canadian railroads during the week ended July 5. Intermodal traffic totaled 38,209 trailers and containers, up 11.2 percent from last year. Carload volume was 52,090 cars, up 4.9 percent from the comparable week last year. Both this year s week and the comparison week from last year included the Canada Day holiday.
Cumulative originations for the first 27 weeks of 2003 on the Canadian railroads totaled 1,660,423 carloads, down 1.5 percent from last year, and 1,105,910 trailers and containers, up 9.6 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 27 weeks of 2003 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 10,321,624 carloads, down 0.1 percent from last year and 6,099,810 trailers and containers, up 7.1 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that originated carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended July 5 totaled 8,821 cars, up 5.5 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 2,942 originated trailers or containers, down 0.3 percent from the 27th week of 2002. For the first 27 weeks of 2003, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 233,488 cars, up 2.3 percent from last year, and 96,222 trailers or containers, up 32.2 percent.